The Efrat Women's Health Center Social Worker Alizah Shapiro and Nutritionist Judy Kizer try to drill good healthy thoughts into our minds in many different ways, including arts and crafts projects to stimulate our creativity and imagination.
You might remember that last month they had us create a mantra - a sort of motto of our lives. http://aimwellwomen.blogspot.com/2011/09/26-your-mantra-your-life.html
This month we began speaking about life after the Efrat Women's Health Center and Alizah and Judy wanted to know what we each thought the key to our continued healthy lives would be. So, of course, we made keys.
My key, pictured above, gives my thoughts on how to retain a healthy lifestyle:
* Think about good health on a daily basis
* Be health conscious
* Remember the rewards and punishments of bad choices
* Eat less
* Move more!!
* Live life!!!
Being a part of the Women's Health Center has made me "health conscious". No, I'm not one of those health nuts that tries to influence everyone to her way of life, or who eats tofu or seaweed. But I am conscious of what foods or activities are good or bad for me. I think about being healthy quite a lot. I want to live a healthy life, and I know that will help me live life to its fullest.
I try to remember the rewards and punishments of bad choices. Is that pizza worth the pound you'll gain? Do you really need the ice cream? If you pass up the cake, you'll feel better. If you don't overeat at the Shabbat table, you won't feel bloated. Remembering those points will help me continue making healthy choices.
And since getting exercise in my life was so difficult, I am grateful today that I try to put exercise into my daily routine. I hope I can keep it up.
Other women in our group had different ideas about the "key" to their future success.
Here are some of the thoughts they hope will keep them on track:
* Spirituality - gaining strength to go on (despite the difficulties) through prayer
* Motivation - keeping their eyes on the goals of a healthier life and finding motivation in others or themselves to continue making healthy choices
* Support - setting up a support system - folks who will encourage them and cheer them on
* Organization - having their menus ready and their days organized so they can find time to shop and prepare their healthy food and exercise, as well
* Feeling good about yourself - the better you feel about yourself, the more you'll try to be good to yourself and work to be healthy
* Flexibility - going with the flow, so that chinks in life won't set them off track
* Exercise - the more they exercise the healthier their lives will be
* Rewards - finding appropriate rewards to encourage their continued healthy lifestyle
We all have a key that will open the doors for a good healthy future and set us on the right path. The challenge is finding that key and making it a vital part of our lives.
Whether you're trying to improve your health, your time management, your marriage, whatever, search inside yourself for the key that will motivate you to reach your goal.
You can even draw it out, like we did. Keep it. Look at it. Make it real.
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